THE PREREQUISITES OF NATIONHOOD and SANTA'S BELT

The Prerequisites of Nationhood

There are 192 member nations in the United Nations.  Wow!  That’s a lot of countries.  How many of them actually warrant being independent nations?  With that in mind, I conclude that there are certain “prerequisites of nationhood” which a population and area should possess in order to succeed as a nation.  Generally, these break down into three categories.  To continue to exist, a nation should score positively in each of these areas. But even If they are weak in one of them, they still may be able to function successfully if they manifest really significant strength in the other two categories.

The first prerequisite for nationhood is homogeneity of a country’s population, enabling those who live there to be identified as citizens of that nation.  Ideally, everyone should speak the same language.  If there are different languages spoken, citizens should be familiar with those languages which are not their own. In addition, a common religion and a common racial make-up are desirable. 

If there is true tolerance of those of different religions or races, and this is part of the country’s psychology, this deficiency may not be that important. Certainly, though, different groups should not be at each other’s throats because of their beliefs, skin color or language.

The second prerequisite for nationhood is the existence of realistic natural boundaries separating the country from its neighbors.  An island nation would be a good example of this.  High mountains, such as the Alps, Andes or Himalayas also provide good borders, as do deserts, jungles and other broad uninhabited areas, so long as someone doesn’t show up there to draw “a line in the sand” and change things.  Rivers and lakes are not good boundaries because they can be easily crossed.  Oceans, like high mountain ranges, are better.

  
Mountains Can Make Good Borders

Finally, and probably the most important prerequisite, is the ability to be economically successful.  This may be based on natural resources, such as petroleum or raw minerals, as well as wealth resulting from manufacturing, research, financial or commercial enterprises.

    
Middle East Oil and Belgian Diamond Cutter

Consequences of Failure

Failing to have a homogenous population can result in the danger of internal conflict.  Iraq, India prior to the breaking away of Pakistan, the former Yugoslavia and some of the African nations illustrate this.  

  Why Yugoslavia Failed

Failing to have natural boundaries can result in susceptibility to invasion.  Poland illustrates this.  North and South Korea are other examples.  

 
German Troops Crossing Border into Poland in 1939

Failing to have a viable economy can result in poverty and financial distress.  The best example of this would be Haiti.  Economies can change, however, as illustrated by Turkey which at the time of the Ottoman Empire was known as the “Sick Man of Europe.”

Chronic Poverty in Haiti

It should be noted that lack of both realistic boundaries and homogenous populations have been the reason why in the Middle East, historically, there have been empires, including the Ottomans, the Persians, the Islamic Caliphate and of course, the British Colonial empire.  Independent nations were unable to survive on their own because of the almost insurmountable task of dealing with failure to meet two of the three prerequisites of nationhood.  Today, economic viability alone, based on petroleum deposits, just isn’t enough to guarantee a nation’s permanence.

 

How many of the 192 United Nations members actually possess enough of these prerequisites of nationhood to survive as independent entities into the future?   I wonder.  Only time will tell.

Jack Lippman

                                               Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Santa’s Belt
Our Annual Holiday Story, Reprinted for Your Enjoyment

Jack Lippman

It was that time of the year when things were getting hectic at the North Pole.  Santa and the elves had been working overtime to make certain that everything would be ready to go on Christmas Eve.  After all, children of all ages throughout the world were waiting for Santa to bring them the gifts which they had been wishing for, gifts to make their dreams come true.

“Rufus,” Santa called out.  “Are all of the presents ready to load into my bag?  Have our helpers down on Earth, the toy manufacturers, gotten their toys and games ready for the kids?  And how about the parents?  You know, they all have to do their part too!  Hey, we only have a few days left!”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Claus,” Rufus replied.  “There won’t be any foul-ups this year.  The toys are all ready to go!”

“And is my sleigh ready?  Are the reindeer in good shape?”

“Don’t worry, Santa,” Rufus reassuringly replied.  “The sleigh has been repainted, the runners greased and the harnesses repaired.  And the reindeer are just fine.  Comet and Cupid are over their colds and the others have even gotten used to Rudolf, who wasn’t even in that poem about us.  Even Donder and Blitzen have calmed down.  Santa, you must stop worrying.  Everything is going to be fine!”

It had been three years since Rufus had been promoted to the position of Chief Elf in Santa’s workshop.  Of course, he had been helping out there for many years but only recently had Santa learned of Rufus’ prior experience working closely with Merlin the Magician centuries ago.  Some of Rufus’ innovations, obviously learned from that apprenticeship with the ancient wizard, had greatly increased the efficiency of Santa’s operation.  For example, it was Rufus who had developed the mathematical formulas which, when put into practice, enabled Santa to defy mere physical laws and be in many different of places at the same time.  Rufus had solved the problem of running out of toys with a procedure which in effect, cloned one toy from another, so Santa’s bag was never empty. And of course, he used a lot of old Merlin’s techniques to ease Santa’s trip up and down chimneys throughout the world, without his red outfit ever getting dirty.  Finally, it was Rufus who convinced Santa to include intangible things such as peace, love, brotherhood and wellbeing among the gifts he left on Earth for those who deserved them.

It was just a few nights before Christmas when Rufus encountered Santa in a state of real panic.

“Santa, what’s the matter?  Why are you holding your waist like that?”

“Can’t you see, you darn fool!  I’m holding my pants up!  If I let go, they’ll fall down.  It happened this morning.  My suspenders snapped and I don’t have a belt big enough to fit around me to hold my pants up.  Rufus, they keep falling down and if we can’t fix them, how can I go out on Christmas Eve?  Rufus, do something to help me!  You must!”

“Now, Mr. Claus” the elf answered, holding back a snicker.  “I can see how this happened.  Come to think of it, I should have seen it coming and done something about it.  I’ve watched the way you’ve been eating all of that delicious food Mrs. Claus prepares for you.  Pies and cakes, chickens and steaks, soups and puddings, pizzas and knishes, pasta and dumplings and on and on.  I’ve seen you put away enough for an army at one sitting and top it off with a banana split and a chocolate bar.   What did you expect?”

“Stop your preaching, Rufus!  What would your Merlin do?  Come on.  Think of something so that I don’t disappoint all the children who’ll be waiting for me on Christmas Eve!  I can’t go out there with my pants falling down!”

“Santa, I don’t think suspenders will do the job for you any more because of the pear shape you’ve developed!  We must to get you a belt big enough to hold up your pants!”

                                                             Santa's Waistline Before Weight Gain

“What do you think I’ve been doing all day?  I’ve been looking for one and there just aren’t any made that big.”

Rufus thought for a minute and stroked his chin.  He then turned his eyes upward and look toward the stars, fixing them on the constellation Orion the Hunter.  In an instant, using a mystic incantation remembered from his days with Merlin, he turned himself into a thunderbolt and flew up into the heavens directly at the strip of stars which formed Orion’s belt.  Grasping as many as he could, Rufus flew back to Earth and fashioned a belt from them for Santa.  The old man, finding for the first time since his suspenders had snapped that he was able to keep his pants up, was ecstatic. 

A few nights later, Santa was able to travel his appointed rounds delivering gifts to children of all ages throughout the world.  As he headed back toward the North Pole, he smiled up at the constellation Orion the Hunter, whose belt, as you can see on any clear evening when you look up in the sky, consists of only three stars, which was all that Rufus left up there. 
  Orion the Hunter

Circling the Earth, Santa made a promise to go on a diet.  He had learned his lesson.  Soon, recognizing the welcoming lights of the workshop far below, the reindeer guided the sleigh into a slow descent and the jovial old man once more waved his hand to the world calling out, “Happy Holidays to all, and to all a good night, especially to you, Rufus!”


 

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Jack Lippman

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